Q: What is neuroblastoma?A: Neuroblastoma is a solid tumor cancer of the sympathetic nervous system that originates in the nerve tissue of the neck, chest, abdomen, or pelvis, but most commonly in the adrenal gland.

Q: What is the average age of children diagnosed with neuroblastoma?A: 22 months.

Q: What is the incidence rate of neuroblastoma?A: Approximately 8 children per million under the age of 15 are diagnosed with neuroblastoma.

Q: How common is neuroblastoma?A: Neuroblastoma accounts for 8 to 10 percent of all childhood cancers. It is the most common cancer in infants, with an incidence rate almost double that of leukemia.

Q: What is the mortality rate of neuroblastoma compared to other pediatric cancers?A: Neuroblastoma accounts for 15 percent of all childhood cancer deaths.

Q: How many children per year are diagnosed with neuroblastoma?A: Approximately 650 to 700 children per year are diagnosed with neuroblastoma in the United States.

Q: At what age is neuroblastoma typically diagnosed?A: More than 95 percent of neuroblastoma cases are diagnosed by age 10.

Q: Does neuroblastoma metastasize to other parts of the body?A: Neuroblastoma is a very aggressive form of pediatric cancer and almost 70 percent of patients have advanced stage disease at the time of diagnosis.

Q: What is the survival rate of neuroblastoma?A: The survival rate of high-risk children is approximately 40 percent.

Q: Can adults get neuroblastoma?A: Yes, a very small percentage of young adults are diagnosed with neuroblastoma.

Q: Does gender make a difference in the incidence rate of neuroblastoma?A: There is a very minimal difference between the incidence rate of neuroblastoma in males vs. females: 1.2 to 1.

Q: Does age at diagnosis make a difference in the outcome of the patient?A: Age remains a strong prognostic variable in the determination of patient outcomes, generally speaking. There are numerous risk assessments assigned to each individual child that need to be reviewed before determining potential outcomes.

Q: What is the cause of neuroblastoma?A: At this time, there is no known cause of neuroblastoma.

Q: What is the risk assignment for children with neuroblastoma?A: Risk assignment varies by the different study groups, but generally:
Of all neuroblastoma cases diagnosed:
• 37 percent of all neuroblastomas are low risk (good prognosis, minimal treatment);
• 18 percent of all neuroblastomas are intermediate risk (good prognosis, moderate treatment); and
• 45 percent of all neuroblastomas are high-risk (poor prognosis, intensive treatment)¹

Q: What are the symptoms of neuroblastoma?²A: Briefly, some of the signs and symptoms include:
• Unusual lump or mass caused by the main tumor
• Lack of appetite & weight loss
• Pain in the bones due to spreading of the cancer to the bones
• Blue or purple bumps on the skin
• Bruising around the eyes
• Tiredness, irritability, weakness, frequent infections and excessive bleeding from small cuts or scrapes due to bone marrow being affected
• Fever
• Constant diarrhea
• High blood pressure
• Rapid heartbeat
• Reddening of the skin (flushing)
• Sweating